Historic Places in Highland

The castle is located on a narrow stretch of land between Loch Lochy and Loch Arkaig. The castle was burnt down in 1746 after the Battle of Culloden. After about 50 years in ruins, Achnacarry was rebuilt under Donald Cameron in 1802 as a Scottish baronial style home, although it is still referred to as a castle. When the Jacobite army was defeated at Culloden in April 1746 the clans retreated into the Scottish Highlands and took to the mountains. Achnacarry was burnt down in the aftermath.

Ackergill Tower (also known as Ackergill Castle) is located in Wick, Caithness. The castle was originally a five storey tower house. It has now been converted to a luxury hotel and business venue. There are 25 bedrooms, with 17 in the Castle, the rest in the Keepers, Old Laundry, Garden House and Smiddy. The castle was originally built in the 15th century by clan Keith. In 1547, the Sinclairs of Sinclair & Girnigoe Castle attacked and captured the castle. Mary the Regent (wife of James V) returned Ackergill Tower to the Keiths, and appointed Lord Oliphant as keeper of Ackergill. The Sinclairs again captured the castle in 1556. Ackergill was recaptured by the Keiths in the late 1590s. The Sinclairs bought the castle in 1612 before surrendering it to Sir Robert Gordon in 1623. Oliver Cromwell may have used Ackergill Castle in 1651 as a barracks. Ackergill was bought by Sir William Dunbar in 1699. The Dunbars extensively renovated the castle began extensive renovations, including an extension to the tower. It remained in the Dunbars family until 1986, when it was sold and converted to a hotel and business venue.

Ardtornish Castle is located on a promontory a mile south-east of the village of Lochaline, on the west coast of Scotland. The castle now in ruins was made of dressed basalt blocks. The south wall contains an arched window added during a minor restoration attempt early in the 20th century. The castle was a "hall house" and probably only two storeys high. It was fortified and defended by the rocky site. The ground floor containing the entrance at the east side has three narrow slit windows in the south wall. These are blocked but their white sandstone sills are still visible from the outside. There is a passage leading to a small latrine tower at the northwest corner. The castle was one of the main seats of the Clan Donald from the early 14th to late 15th century. Ardtornish Castle was forfeited to the Crown in 1493.and eventually given to the Clan MacLean chief of Duart Castle, who already had large tracts of land in the area. The castle was probably abandoned around the end of the seventeenth century, by which time Ardtornish had been taken over by the Campbell Earls of Argyll. Some minor restoration work was done in the late 18th century and early 19th century.

Ardvreck Castle ruins can be reached by driving along the A837 which follows the north shore of Loch Assynt from the village of Inchnadamph Ardvreck Castle is built on a rocky promontory on Loch Assynt in Sutherland, North West Highlands of Scotland. Ardvreck Castle was originally a large structure and it is believed to have had a walled garden and formal courtyard. The remains of the foundations can still be seen and cover a large area. The central keep was rectangular and three storeys tall. There was a vaulted basement under the castle. The castle is now in ruins - all that remains is a tower and part of a defensive wall. The castle is thought to have been built around 1590 by the Clan MacLeod family. During the time of the Covenanters, James Graham, the Marquis of Montrose, was captured and held at Ardvreck Castle before being transported to Edinburgh for trial and execution. Montrose was a Royalist, fighting on the side of Charles I against the Covenanters. After being defeated at the Battle of Carbondale, Montrose fled to Ardvreck, but was trapped in the castle dungeon by the MacLeods who sent for the Covenanter troops. Ardvreck Castle on the Shore of Loch Assynt. Taken looking NW with Quinag in the background

Carbisdale Castle is located on a hill above the Kyle of Sutherland in Ross & Cromarty in the Highlands. The castle was built by the Duchess of Sutherland. In 1945 the Castle was given to the Scottish Youth Hostels Association (SYHA) and set up as a Youth Hostel. Carbisdale Castle was built between 1905 and 1917 for the Duchess of Sutherland. The Duchess became unpopular with the Sutherlands and got into a legal dispute with the family after the death of her husband. She built this castle overlooking Sutherland land and it became known as "The Castle of Spite" as it was considered that the Duchess located the castle there to spite her husband's family. Colonel Theodore Salvesen bought the castle in 1933. During World War II, King Haakon VII of Norway and Crown Prince Olav took refuge at the castle during the Nazi occupation of Norway. Theodore's son, Captain Harold Salvesen inherited the castle and gave it to the Scottish Youth Hostels Association. Carbisdale Castle Youth Hostel opened in 1945 and is still used as a Youth Hostel. Legends The castle tower only has clocks on three of its four faces, with no clock on the side facing the Sutherland estate, as apparently the Duchess of Sutherland did not wish to give the time of day to her former relatives, following a legal dispute over her husband's will. The castle is said to have several ghosts including a lady in white, fallen soldiers of the Battle of Carbisdale and the sounds of a piper.

Castle Leod near Strathpeffer in Ross-shire is the ancestral seat of the Clan Mackenzie Earls of Cromartie, a well-preserved sixteenth-century tower house still in private ownership by the MacKenzie family and representing one of Scotland's most genuine lived-in aristocratic family seats. The castle's ancient sweet chestnut trees, claimed to be among the oldest in Scotland, are a notable feature of the estate. The interior contains family portraits, arms and armour and historical items from several centuries of MacKenzie occupation. Strathpeffer nearby is a distinctive Victorian spa town with hotels and a hydropathic pavilion, and the surrounding landscape of the Black Isle and Easter Ross is one of the most fertile areas of the Highland region.

The Castle of Mey (formerly known as Barrogill Castle) is situated in Caithness on the north coast of Scotland. It is about six miles west of John o' Groats. In clear weather there are views north to the Orkney Islands. The castle was purchased by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 1952. She restored the castle for use as a holiday home and regularly visited it from 1955 until her death in 2002. In July 1996 The Queen Mother transferred ownership of the property to the Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust. The castle and garden is now open to the public as a popular tourist attraction. A new Visitors Centre was opened in 2007. Legends The castle is reputedly haunted by The Green Lady, ghost of Elizabeth Sinclair, the daughter of the 5th Earl of Caithness. Apparently, the Earl was not impressed when he found out his daughter had fallen in love with a servant, and locked here up in a castle attic. The heartbroken Elizabeth committed suicide by jumping from a castle window.

Castle Sinclair and Girnigoe is a castle located on a rocky promontory jutting out into Sinclair Bay about 3 miles north of Wick on the east coast of Caithness, Scotland, United Kingdom. It is one of the earliest seats of Clan Sinclair. The castle, an L-plan crow-stepped gabled tower house, is a ruin and is being restored by its owner, The Clan Sinclair Trust. Castle Sinclair and Girnigoe was originally known as Castle Girnigoe. It was built by William Sinclair, the 2nd Earl of Caithness in the late 15th century. The castle was extended in 1606, with new structures surrounded by a curtain wall, connected to rest of the castle by a drawbridge over a ravine. The name was then changed from Castle Girnigoe to Castle Sinclair. Girnigoe was originally a 5 story L-plan crow-stepped gabled tower house. The tower was joined to various outbuildings within a surrounding wall. The castle has a small secret chamber in the vaulted ceiling of the kitchen, a rock-cut stairway down to the sea. Castle Sinclair and Girnigoe was inhabited by the Sinclair Earls of Caithness until George Sinclair, the 6th Earl of Caithness died without heir. John Campbell of Glen Orchy, who married George Sinclair's widow,took over the castle. George Sinclair of Keiss stormed the castle to reclaim it for the Sinclairs in 1679, and this led to the Battle of Altimarlech in 1680, which was won by the Campbells. In 1690, George Sinclair of Keiss besieged the castle again and destroyed it with heavy cannon fire.

Castle Stuart is located on the Moray Firth near Inverness, about 20 minutes drive from Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle. The castle was completed in 1625.The current owner, Charles Stuart, spent 15 years renovating the castle, which had been roofless, for 300 years. The castle is a tower house with two circular towers linked by a central block. Inside, the furniture has been crafted from 400-year-old oak. The castle has been fully restored and offers luxury accommodation. The entire castle or eight individual bedrooms may be reserved. Mary Queen of Scots gave the castle land to her half-brother, James Stuart in 1561, and granted him the title "Earl of Moray". Castle Stuart was finally completed in 1625 by James Stuart the 3rd Earl of Moray. When Oliver Cromwell rose to power in England, the Stuart family lost their king, Charles the First. Castle Stuart then fell into decline and became a ruin for almost 300 years. The castle is not far from Culloden Moor, where the last failed attempt to restore the exiled Stuart kings to the British throne took place. Legends The castle web site sells a book about The Mystery of Castle Stuart. The story goes that sometime long ago, the Earl of Moray was looking for someone to spend the night in Three-Turret Haunted Bedroom at the top of the East Tower to prove to everyone that it was not haunted. A local poacher took up the offer ... and was found dead in the courtyard the next morning ...

Castle Tioram is a ruined castle located on the tidal island Eilean Tioram in Loch Moidart, Lochaber, Scotland. Castle Tioram is pronounced "Chee-rum" and is derived from the Gaelic "Caisteal Tioram" meaning "dry castle". The castle is the traditional seat of the Clan MacDonald of Clan Ranald. The ruined keep is located at the south east of a courtyard surrounded by a roughly five-sided curtain wall. The tower originally had a basement, a hall on the first floor, chambers of the second floor, and possibly servants quarters on the third floor. The ramparts were crenellated. An extra floor was added to the tower in the 17th century and the infilled original crenellation can be seen near the top of wall. The castle is in poor condition and was closed to the public in 1998 at the request of Highland Council. Part of the northwest curtain wall collapsed in 2000. The castle is an A listed building and scheduled ancient monument. The outside of the castle can be reached by foot across a sandy causeway at high tide. Castle Tioram was seized by Government forces around 1692 when Clan Chief Allan of Clan Ranald joined the Jacobite Court in France. A small garrison was stationed in the Castle until the Jacobite Uprising of 1715 when Clan Chief Allan recaptured and burned down the castle to keep it out of the hands of the Hanoverian forces. It has been unoccupied since then. The tower and other buildings in the courtyard are of 15th to 17th century construction. The curtain wall is believed to date from the 13th century.

Cawdor Castle is a tower house in the parish of Cawdor, about 10 miles east of Inverness and 5 miles southwest of Nairn. The castle has evolved over 600 years. Additions made in the 17th century were all built with slated roofs and crow-stepped gables. The castle has beautiful gardens, including a walled garden originally planted in the 17th Century. Cawdor Castle is open to the public from Spring through Autumn. The earliest documented date for the castle is 1454, although some parts of the castle have been dated to about 1380. The original castle was a large tower (or keep). The castle was built around a small, living holly tree, the remains of which can still be seen in the lowest level of the tower. Significant additions made to the castle in the 17th century and 19th century. The iron yett here was brought from nearby Lochindorb Castle around 1455 after Lochindorb had been forfeited by the Earl of Moray. The Arts Cawdor Castle is best known for its connection to William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. However the castle was built many years after the events of the play.

Dalcross Castle near Inverness is a seventeenth-century tower house built in 1621, now restored and available for private hire and holiday accommodation. The castle was involved with several Highland families before falling into disrepair and being subsequently restored to a habitable condition with period-appropriate furnishings. Near the site of the Battle of Culloden in April 1746, one of the most significant battles in British history where the last Jacobite army was defeated, the area around the castle is of considerable historical importance. The surrounding Nairn valley and Moray Firth coast provide access to Culloden Battlefield, Cawdor Castle, the cathedral city of Elgin, the Speyside whisky distilleries and the magnificent Cairngorms National Park.

Dornoch Castle is situated in the town of Dornoch about 40 miles north of Inverness. It is located opposite the 12th century Dornoch Cathedral. The castle was built in the 15th Century. The castle now offers luxury accommodation. It has 21 ensuite bedrooms - some are within the oldest part of the castle and some in a modern extension. Some of the rooms have four poster beds. The Old Courtroom has hand carved four poster beds, open log fire, half paneling, stone walls and a spa bath open to the 16 foot ceiling. Originally the castle was home to the bishops of Caithness. Dornoch Castle was besieged and set alight in 1570 in a feud between the McKays and Murrays. All records of the Castle were destroyed. It is believed that the castle was originally built in the 15th century and rebuilt and extended in the 16th century. The vaulted dungeons below the Tower would have been part of the original construction. The present tower and the tower of the Cathedral survived the siege of 1570. The only other surviving part was the chimney adjoining the Tower. Several attempts were made to repair the castle, before the council demolished part of it in the early 19th century. In 1812 the residential part of the castle was pulled down. The castle tower, with its spiral stone staircase, was re-roofed, and turned into a courthouse and jail. A new building was erected over the vaulted kitchens, next to the great chimney, and became the schoolhouse. Legends Dornoch Castle is said to have had the ghost of a sheep stealer by the name of Andrew McCornish who was imprisoned in the dungeons below the Tower.

Dunrobin Castle is on the east coast of the Northern Highlands overlooking the Moray Firth, just north of the villages of Golspie and Dornoch. It is the largest castle in the Northern Highlands with 189 rooms. Dunrobin Castle is also one of Britain's oldest continuously inhabited houses dating back to the early 1300s. It was home to the Earls and later, the Dukes of Sutherland. Dunrobin Castle now resembles a French château with its towering conical spires - this transformation from fort to stately home was carried out in the late 19th century. The gardens were laid out in 1850 by architect Sir Charles Barry, with influences from the Palace of Versailles in Paris. Dunrobin Castle is open annually from April to October. The original castle was a fortified square keep, with walls six feet thick and a vaulted ceiling. The castle was extended from the 16th century onwards. In 1785 a large extension was constructed. The original keep still survives, within the structure making Dunrobin one of the oldest inhabited houses in Scotland. The Castle was used as a naval hospital during the First World War and as a boys boarding school from 1965 to 1972.

Duntulm Castle is a ruined castle near the village of Duntulm. on the north coast of the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The last masonry wall fell in 1980 during a storm. The vaulted basements are intact. The ruins of the castle are in poor condition. The main structure of the castle was built in the 14th and 15th centuries. A tower was added in the 17th century. The castle was abandoned in the early 1730s Legends According to local legend, the infant son of one of the chieftains fell from a window and was dashed on the rocks below. As a punishment, the nursemaid who was supposed to be supervising the child was set adrift on the North Atlantic in a small boat. Her ghost is said to haunt the castle.